(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic read/write head assembly for a magnetic disk drive, and more particularly to a magnetic read/write head assembly in which constituent parts thereof are reduced in number and weight for an easy fabrication and for obtaining a low flying height and a quick response during a contact start and stop.
(b) Description of the Related Art
A conventional magnetic read/write (read and/or write) head assembly is shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, in which a slider 2 mounting electromagnetic transducers 3 is shown with an air bearing surface 2a facing upward. The slider 2 is supported by a gimbal spring 6 at one end thereof for permitting freedom of motion of the electromagnetic transducers 3. The other end of the gimbal spring 6 is secured to the distal end portion of a suspension arm 1 which in turn is secured at its inner base portion 1a to a head positioning mechanism. The slider 2 further mounts thin film lead wires 4 and electrodes 4a for transmitting electric signal to or from the electromagnetic transducers 3, and the electrodes 4a are connected to lead wires 4b attached to the suspension arm 1.
The magnetic read/write head assembly as described above has a drawback in which a large number of constituent parts are included therein and these parts demand a skilled work in fabrication thereof. Further, there is another drawback in which the dimension and the weight of the slider are large so that quick response of the electromagnetic transducers during a contact start and stop process is not sufficient when a low and constant flying height is to be maintained for achieving a high density recording performance.